Shippin' Out 11/6-11/10: Gears of War, first PS3 titles

A season's worth of gaming arrives in a single week as the 360 gets its long-awaited shooter, Activision sends out first games for Sony's next-gen system, and a slew of big releases hit across all systems.

Next week's Shippin' Out will be awash with launch titles for the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii, but gamers who aren't willing to shell out for the new systems (or aren't able to find them on store shelves) should have plenty to keep them busy. This week sees a slew of hot titles across all current platforms, spearheaded by Microsoft's last-minute push to make people forget all about the Xbox 360's rivals.

Epic Games' Gears of War was unveiled more than two years ago, and it's been one of the most anticipated games for the Xbox 360 since day one. It's also just one of a number of notable products for the platform shipping this week. The Rare-developed Viva Pinata is expected in stores by the weekend; Konami's Xbox Live Arcade version of the arcade shooter Contra arrives on the system's Marketplace Wednesday. And then there's a handful of new first-party peripherals for the system, including the Live Wireless Headset, the Wireless Racing Wheel, and the HD-DVD expansion drive.

That's a strong week of releases by most measures, but there's plenty of competition out there, including some expected early releases for the PS3. Activision is apparently shipping Tony Hawk's Project 8 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance for the PS3, so gamers who are especially confident in their ability to get a system on launch day can start to build their collection of games a little early. The publisher further bolsters its odds of racking up burly sales figures with the release of Call of Duty 3 for the Xbox 360, Xbox, and PlayStation 2.

Even with all the attention on the third iteration of the PlayStation home console brand, the king of current-gen gaming still has some legs. This week, the PS2 welcomes Activision and RedOctane's Guitar Hero II, The Sopranos, a new SOCOM game, and the retro Sega Genesis Collection. The PC likewise gets a few titles of import this week, including the controversial real-time strategy game Left Behind: Eternal Forces, the Steam-downloadable RoboBlitz (also headed for Xbox 360 this year), and the latest Splinter Cell game, Double Agent.

In the realm of portable systems, the Nintendo DS sees the release of the first-party rhythm game Elite Beat Agents, a heavily reworked version of last year's Japanese cult hit Osu! Takake! Ouendan! Buena Vista Games offers up a pair of Q Entertainment games for the PlayStation Portable with Every Extend Extra and Lumines II, and Square Enix launches Final Fantasy V on the Game Boy Advance.

The week's new releases are listed below (list taken from retailer information--actual dates may vary).

NOVEMBER 6, 2006
Elite Beat Agents (DS)
BattleZone (PSP)
Lumines II (PSP)
Every Extend Extra (PSP)
Reel Fishing: Life & Nature (PSP)
Microsoft Xbox 360 Live Wireless Headset
Final Fantasy V Advance (GBA)
Hot Wheels: Stunt Track Challenge/World Race (GBA)
Unreal Anthology (PC)
RoboBlitz (PC)
1701 A.D. (PC)
Deal or No Deal (PC)
The Fifth Disciple (PC)
Great Invasions (PC)
Model Train 3D (PC)
Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects (PC)

NOVEMBER 7, 2006
Tony Hawk's Project 8 (PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, Xbox)
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (PS3)
Gears of War (Xbox 360)
Call of Duty 3 (Xbox 360, PS2, Xbox)
Blitz: The League (Xbox 360)
History Channel: Civil War (Xbox 360)
World Championship Poker: Featuring Howard Lederer - All In (Xbox 360)
Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (PS2)
Guitar Hero II (PS2)
Hard Rock Casino (PS2, PSP)
Sega Genesis Collection (PS2)
The Sopranos: Road to Respect (PS2)
SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Combined Assault (PS2)
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 2 (PSP)
Barbie in The 12 Dancing Princesses (DS)
Bomberman Land Touch! (DS)
Digimon World DS (DS)
My Frogger Toy Trials (DS)
Tom and Jerry Tales (DS, GBA)
Uno/Skip-Bo/Uno Freefall (DS)
Winx Club: The Quest for the Codex (DS, GBA)
Polarium Advance (GBA)
The Sims 2: Pets (GBA)
Final Fantasy XI: The Vana'diel Collection 2007 (PC)
Left Behind: Eternal Forces (PC)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent (PC)

NOVEMBER 8, 2006
Contra (Xbox 360)
Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive
Patriots: A Nation Under Fire (PC)

NOVEMBER 9, 2006
Viva Pinata (Xbox 360)
Disney's Chicken Little: Ace in Action (PS2, DS)

178 Comments

  • jackarse29

    Posted Nov 30, 2006 5:56 am PT

    "You cant deny that GoW is a very pretty game, and that is the evidence of the next gen .... ....That being said, the next gen isn't technically here yet; all the developers have to release games on is the Xbox 1.5 hehe" im sorry ricecake what exactly are you saying here? that GoW is next gen but 360 isn't? strange..

  • jackarse29

    Posted Nov 30, 2006 5:38 am PT

    "9.6 rating Gears of War. Why everyone is so excited about it? There is one more big hype game, that is Halo 3."
    gamespot dont hand 9.6s out lightly- only one example is half life 2 (9.2)

    besides, even though the Halo series is comendable we shouldnt expect that the jump from 2 to 3 to be any more groundbreaking than the jump from 1 to 2. Otherwise there is going to be a strong possibly that people will once again be disappointed with what will still be a decent game

  • brandontek

    Posted Nov 24, 2006 10:38 pm PT

    wow i didnt know about "The List" until now. thats one BIG, LONG one also lol. just read the 360 and Wii Games LOL.

  • GriMGraVe

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 4:53 am PT

    Axemetal, yes but keep in mind that Ninja Gaiden is heading to Ps3 too

  • Axemetal

    Posted Nov 13, 2006 1:03 pm PT

    you Ps3'rs should know all about loseing exclusive titles shouldn't you GriMGraVe?

  • Kholdstare_fire

    Posted Nov 12, 2006 6:13 pm PT

    Buying GoW this week, have a coupon for Circuit City w00t! They will sell more copies of Gears of War than totall sales for PS3. Isn't M$ amazing?!

  • zidura

    Posted Nov 12, 2006 3:20 pm PT

    "You Xbox fans will (unfortunately) regret all the flaming and cursing you are doing about the Ps3, because exclusive titles don't last long these days. Don't get surprised if you end up seeing Gears of War on the Ps3."

    Hmmm well considering it's published by Microsoft it's kinda unlikely it will end up on PS3 don'cha think? Most of the big PS3 titles are published by third-party publishers which is why most of them are NOT exclusive to the PS3. So most of the good games on the PS3 will be coming to the 360, but not necessarily vice-versa.

    Buy a PS3 if you want one that's fine by me. I'll stick with the 360 for now cuz it has plenty of great games and it's just not worth it for me to spend more money for maybe 3 or 4 exclusive PS3 games. With that money I could have 10 or more great 360 games instead. It doesn't really matter which console is technically better (PS2 proved that). What matters is the games, and for that, I don't need a PS3. Everyone goes nuts over MGS4, it seems, but there's no way I'd buy a PS3 just for that game and a couple others.

  • GriMGraVe

    Posted Nov 12, 2006 1:42 pm PT

    "The reason everyone is talking about gears is because it came out just in time to kick the ps3's ass and believe me, it will. It is the best game out so far but definetly not the only one in the lifetime of the 360. You sir are a dumbass. There are over 100 games out so far and i would say a hella lot of those are really good games... graw, oblivion, cod2, perfect dark were both launch games... and etc of course."

    Wow, someone is seriously pissed. Here, have a cookie.
    I'll remind you that upon its release, the Ps2 was also crap, with crappy games at launch etc, etc, dreamcast rocked, and was also considered much much better than the Ps2 in graphics, games...whatever.
    Turns out that Sega closed hardware doors and the Ps2 STILL SELLS.
    Hey, I had an xbox already. Sold it and still have one gamecube and of course the ps2.

    You Xbox fans will (unfortunately) regret all the flaming and cursing you are doing about the Ps3, because exclusive titles don't last long these days. Don't get surprised if you end up seeing Gears of War on the Ps3

  • _Sam_

    Posted Nov 12, 2006 12:53 pm PT

    I really want to play Gears of War

  • League727

    Posted Nov 12, 2006 6:11 am PT

    OMG!!!!!!!!!!You guys are so immature. Ps3 and Xbox360 are so totally different yet so totally the same. Sure X360 is gonna have Gears of War and Halo3 so what they are awesome games live with it. Ps3 is gonna have MGS4 and Resistence:FoM. These four titles im sure will be amazing mindblowing games,"Gears of War is already...haha", but when u get down to the point, Ps3 and X360 will have their ups and downs its that simple so plz guys stop arguing with eachother and just have some fun talking about the Ps3 launch since its like 4 days away .

  • Omgwtflolzz

    Posted Nov 12, 2006 5:20 am PT

    Viva Pinata on Xbox360 is awesome! if you haven't heard of it, check it out. Like Animal Crossing & Katamari Damacy rolled into one!

  • Sandro909

    Posted Nov 11, 2006 11:34 pm PT

    Gears is great. ^^

  • judgepeter813

    Posted Nov 11, 2006 5:55 pm PT

    "Its amazing when you xbox fanboys get one good game on that system. During one entire year of the 360's existence, you only talk about GoW. Yes yes, spare me those "omg liek halo 3 is gonna kick ur ass man" comments. Give Sony / Ps3 a break and, in a year, you will see what I'm talking about.
    Oh and besides, Ps3 is currently using only one of the 7 cores on games. If one core already has such graphical power....I can't imagine how future games will look once they discover a way to use more cores."

    The reason everyone is talking about gears is because it came out just in time to kick the ps3's ass and believe me, it will. It is the best game out so far but definetly not the only one in the lifetime of the 360. You sir are a dumbass. There are over 100 games out so far and i would say a hella lot of those are really good games... graw, oblivion, cod2, perfect dark were both launch games... and etc of course.

    p.s. that same guy's wrong speculation about the games thing is so wrong and it definetly brings up to wonder if the core thing is wrong too and it is btw.

    pps. the guy who said gears is like killswitch is absolutley wrong. STOP HATING GEARS... if you do it will come up to bite you in the ass like to say when mgs comes out and gets a bad score or to say when any other game comes out and gets a bad score because it will happen no doubt and you fanboys are afraid of that

  • bamf03

    Posted Nov 10, 2006 6:11 pm PT

    Dr_Yassam
    Why do so many gamers enjoy making up 'facts'? Go read up on what developers are actually saying about the PS3, such as those working on Warhawk and Lair. Their comments makes it very clear that they are making as much use of the SPU cores as they can!

    Yes, as they can. or should you say, currently can. When they know more they'll get more out of it, just like with PS2.

  • Dr_Yassam

    Posted Nov 10, 2006 4:01 pm PT

    GriMGraVe wrote "Oh and besides, Ps3 is currently using only one of the 7 cores on games. If one core already has such graphical power....I can't imagine how future games will look once they discover a way to use more cores."

    Why do so many gamers enjoy making up 'facts'? Go read up on what developers are actually saying about the PS3, such as those working on Warhawk and Lair. Their comments makes it very clear that they are making as much use of the SPU cores as they can!

    eg. http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/733/733921p5.html

    "Lair in its current form couldn't be done on 360. We are using large amounts of Cell's SPUs for all of our geometry, landscape, simulations, animations, even troop AI."

    So, what was that about one core?

    Developers also make it quite clear that there is very little difference between the 360 and PS3 in terms of power. Although none of this should really matter to you anyway.

  • yohanjr

    Posted Nov 10, 2006 1:11 pm PT

    Hands down I think ps3 is gonna be the best but Gears of War is one of the best games ive eva seen

  • GriMGraVe

    Posted Nov 10, 2006 8:08 am PT

    Its amazing when you xbox fanboys get one good game on that system. During one entire year of the 360's existence, you only talk about GoW. Yes yes, spare me those "omg liek halo 3 is gonna kick ur ass man" comments. Give Sony / Ps3 a break and, in a year, you will see what I'm talking about.
    Oh and besides, Ps3 is currently using only one of the 7 cores on games. If one core already has such graphical power....I can't imagine how future games will look once they discover a way to use more cores.

    Ps- I aint fanboy of ANY brand. Neither am going to buy the 360 nor the Ps3. I'm sticking with the Pc for now and will probably buy a Wii later.

  • celder

    Posted Nov 9, 2006 4:11 pm PT

    i love u ps3 fanboys u made the xbox360 what is now........ the best next gen system ever
    im getting tired of everybody negative comments about gears of war its the best lookin next gen game this year hands down...

  • EnigmaNemesis

    Posted Nov 9, 2006 3:21 pm PT

    "Gears is what i wanted in single player but the multiplayer gets old fast, especially in a 4v4 environment....i guess since i got used to fps games i realized just how superior they are to 3rd person shooters....im going to go play halo now and gears can go back to blockbuster lol"

    You make no sense, it is the same thing, only difference is character perspective.

    Gears of War ROCKS! ... 10 times more fun in -Co-Op ... it plain owns.

  • GrimBee

    Posted Nov 9, 2006 3:47 am PT

    Does anyone know what the box art or the insides of the ps3 game boxes are going to look like?

    I saw this HORRIBLE see through... thing.. with bits missing from the top.. and the manual.... and... Man I hope thats not the ps3 cases...

    And wow, gears of war had such a higher rating than genji 2.. although, I am not surprised... "real time.. weapon change.... and attack its weakpoint, for massive damage (ahem)".

  • trigun123

    Posted Nov 9, 2006 1:09 am PT

    Gears is what i wanted in single player but the multiplayer gets old fast, especially in a 4v4 environment....i guess since i got used to fps games i realized just how superior they are to 3rd person shooters....im going to go play halo now and gears can go back to blockbuster lol

  • Elyoshi

    Posted Nov 8, 2006 11:25 pm PT

    Wow, people are ripping apart GoW already? It took about 6 months for the Halo hate to first set in. Why do people hate popular mainstream things so much? Also yes, its "just" another shooter. Yes, its another FPS. That is its genre. Were you expexting an RPG? A game can be good without crazy mindblowing never thought of before gameplay elements.

    Why is everybody so exited? Because its the first damn game on the 360 so far to live up to the hype. Whats with all the halo-worshiping twelve year olds with the "LOL WY YOU LEIK GoW WEN HALO GONNA COME OUT NEXT YEAR?" I didn't buy a $400 gaming system JUST to play halo three. Also im very skeptical about halo 3, since halo 2 lacked soooo much in single player. Lets hope they don't make that mistake again. In order for Halo 3 to live up to the hype its getting already, Jesus will have to walk earth again and personally aid the bungie team.

  • monlosez

    Posted Nov 8, 2006 8:00 pm PT

    9.6 rating Gears of War. Why everyone is so excited about it? There is one more big hype game, that is Halo 3.

  • Solidesnake2004

    Posted Nov 8, 2006 7:08 pm PT

    In Gears of War, a slab of concrete is your best friend. And if that slab of concrete isn't around, you can always make do with burned-out cars, piles of metal, huge columns, or even the ever-popular wall next to a doorway. Why are these inanimate objects so friendly? Because if you aren't hiding behind something in Gears of War, you might as well be dead.

    My Response: Sounds familiar to a PS2 game...what was it called??? ohh yeah Killswitch...Hide and Shoot.

  • Solidesnake2004

    Posted Nov 8, 2006 6:35 pm PT

    My Response: RiceCake...good call.... im all Sony and Nintendo..not soo much on Micrsoft(except their operating systems for PC's) its true the coversystem isn't new....also the Machinegun/Chainsaw isn't so revolutionary either... all you do is replace a baonet with a chainsaw....but the laughable thing is..... its not a machine gun by itself nor a chainsaw by itself either.... so therfore hahahhaa

  • RiceCake

    Posted Nov 8, 2006 4:32 pm PT

    You cant deny that GoW is a very pretty game, and that is the evidence of the next gen. As for the game itself... Allot of it has been done before. The new cover system is kewl, but not revolutionary. Nothing else in the game has innovation worthy of being called next gen. That being said, the next gen isn't technically here yet; all the developers have to release games on is the Xbox 1.5 hehe

  • PhoenixBurner2

    Posted Nov 8, 2006 3:26 pm PT

    QUOTE:
    "playforpride372:
    fluffebunnie, You're an idiot, and everyone here will agree with me that gears of war is the best game i have seen in years!!! This game rules!!! It will be alot better than MGS!!! "

    Um - I don't agree. So I guess that "everyone here will agree" thing didn't work out so well for ya.

    The game looks nice, but no one has been able to play it extensively enough to say it's the best game in years. If you're saying that it's the best LOOKING game in years, then yes, it's a beautiful game - one of the best in years, but wander on over to the "Lair" pages and check out the extremely high rez textures on those character models. Don't worry, you won't get PS3 cooties.

  • not_grape

    Posted Nov 8, 2006 2:51 pm PT

    TO: Playforpride372:
    He was quoting someone...

  • DeathgiverX

    Posted Nov 8, 2006 10:49 am PT

    Gears of War FTW.

  • rebound2

    Posted Nov 8, 2006 9:00 am PT

    Except ..barbie

  • rebound2

    Posted Nov 8, 2006 8:59 am PT

    be thankfull that all this lovley new booty will be able to be brought in just a week. STOP BICKERING FANBOYS!! earn some money then buy everything!

  • zeta

    Posted Nov 8, 2006 6:08 am PT

    nothing but a bunch of jerk off kids here bickering about their precious systems...

  • Notoria

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 5:18 pm PT

    SSWWEEETTT!!!

  • atomD21

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 2:49 pm PT

    Did anyone else just think meh when they saw the PS3 video that GS just put up? I saw nothing at all that made me want the rubik's cube murderer.

  • atomD21

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 2:48 pm PT

    Did anyone else just think meh when they saw the PS3 video that GS just put up? I saw nothing at all that made me want the rubik's cube murderer.

  • Aaron_130

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 2:28 pm PT

    LOL it's an FPS ... no it isn't, it's a third person shooter.

    shouldn't you be queuing up and fighting over who gets the soon-to-be-broken PS3 at your local bestbuy or something????

  • playforpride372

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 2:12 pm PT

    fluffebunnie, You're an idiot, and everyone here will agree with me that gears of war is the best game i have seen in years!!! This game rules!!! It will be alot better than MGS!!!

  • playforpride372

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 2:11 pm PT

    fluffebunnie, You're an idiot, and everyone here will agree with me that gears of war is the best game i have seen in years!!! This game rules!!! It will be alot better than MGS!!!

  • playforpride372

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 2:11 pm PT

    fluffebunnie, You're an idiot, and everyone here will agree with me that gears of war is the best game i have seen in years!!! This game rules!!! It will be alot better than MGS!!!

  • fluffebunnie

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 1:55 pm PT

    GoW... So?

    It is just a FPS , boooring ZzzZzzZzZzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZzzzzzzzzzZZZZZ

    gimme Metal Gear and I'll wake up.

    But I thought that's all gamers wanted... The same MMORPG to play every night and another generic FPS game to play every couple weeks.

    In other news, Neverwinter Nights 2 is out!

  • TintedChimes

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 11:35 am PT

    LUMINES 2 BABY!

  • Kahuna_1

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 11:30 am PT

    Epic Games' Gears of War was unveiled more than two years ago, and it's been one of the most anticipated games for the Xbox 360 since day one. funny, i thought it was only recently announced on the 360..did it get dropped for the ps3?

  • blazinpuertoroc

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 11:27 am PT

    wo0o marvel ultimate alliance! my first ps3 game!!

  • damagooon

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 10:50 am PT

    GoW... So?

    It is just a FPS , boooring ZzzZzzZzZzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZzzzzzzzzzZZZZZ

    gimme Metal Gear and I'll wake up.

  • Zweihanderhero

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 10:47 am PT

    KikoJones
    "Looking at the competition...Gears of War is gonna air the block out. "

    Suuuure, maybe in that list; but as for total sales there's this little game that was released on 10/31. You might have heard of it, it's called Final Fantasy 12. And don't discount Guitar Hero 2 either. Gears is just another shooter, pretty, but still just a shooter. Same goes for Resistance when the PS3 launches.

    So's FFXII.It's just another RPG,pretty but still just an RPG.So what's your point?

  • funkybar88

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 10:42 am PT

    OMG I'm actually thinking about getting 360, whats wrong with me? I've been with sony for years

  • SqueekyC1ean

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 10:36 am PT

    OMG BARBIE IN THE 12 DANCING PRINCESSES IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THAT FOR EVER!!!!!!! JK

  • ice_rocman

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 10:26 am PT

    Elite Beat Agents>GoW. Thank ya.

  • faizali86

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 10:18 am PT

    wow! what an amazing week

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